Kamesha | TRAC Alumni

Kamesha

Office: New York

Practice: Property – Terrorism

When/how did you join Marsh?

I graduated from the University of Southern California in May 2014 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a minor in International Relations. I joined Marsh four years ago as a member of the TRAC program and was based in the Los Angeles office. Upon completion of the program, I moved to New York City to join the Terrorism and Political Violence team.

Describe your time in the TRAC Program

The TRAC program empowered me to feel comfortable entering the risk management industry without having an academic risk management background, or prior insurance work-experience. The first two weeks of the program were spent at rigorous orientation held at the NYC headquarters where we had a crash course on insurance coverages, terms and practices. We were introduced to leaders of the different Marsh departments and learned about their capabilities/functions and had the unique opportunity to meet the MMC and Marsh company executives.

Forming a peer network with TRAC associates across all the hub cities and other departments/specialties was one of the defining aspects of orientation. My TRAC peer network is a resource that I’ve continuously tapped in to over the years. It was extremely helpful to be able to navigate through our questions together throughout the program and after.

I spent my first year of the TRAC program in the National Brokerage group where I honed in on my client-facing skills. In my second year, I had the opportunity to learn the market-facing side of the business as a part of the Casualty Placement group. Throughout the program, we tuned into Speaker Series a couple times a month to hear from leaders across MMC, Marsh, and the insurance industry speaking on a variety of risk management topics, products and industry-wide trends. It kept us up to date and in the know.

The Speaker Series featuring the Marsh Terrorism group especially captured my interest and I reached out to the group’s leader in NYC for an informational meeting to learn more. I expressed my interest to join the group post-program and it was well-received. I was able to secure an off-boarding role to join the Terrorism group upon graduating the program. The support I received to relocate across the country to NYC has been one of the highlights of my time at Marsh. I believe this interaction speaks to the reputation of the TRAC program as a great producer of responsible, curious, and highly-engaged colleagues whom other colleagues are eager to have on their teams.

What does a typical day look like for you?

My current role as a Terrorism Placement Specialist is exciting because it is directly linked to the current political risk climate across the world. In order to best advise our clients, I have to keep myself informed on the ever-changing nature of terrorist attacks and the products available in the marketplace to address such attacks (ex: bombings, active shooter, nuclear etc.)

My typical day begins with answering any urgent requests, as our clients cannot go without coverage due to the unpredictable nature of terrorist attacks. My day-to-do tasks involve negotiating and collaborating with insurers to derive the best insurance programs for our clients and creating marketing materials to compare and showcase terrorism insurance solutions. As a part of the terrorism group, I get to work on a variety of accounts of all sizes and industries and I have the opportunity to spearhead the marketing efforts on a great deal of accounts. This keeps my role exciting and fresh.

Do you have any advice for candidates or incoming TRAC associates?

My advice to those applying for the program is to attend any Marsh recruiting events held at your university to get a glimpse of what working at Marsh is like and to build a rapport with Marsh recruiters and any colleagues you may meet. Reach out to anyone you may know currently in the industry to learn more about it and the work we do to determine if it’s a good fit for you. And my advice to those who are joining the program: network, network, network! The culture at Marsh is very open-door. Colleagues of all levels are always willing to offer help and advice on how to build a successful career in the industry.  I am a testament to the fact that networking can get you to where you want to be.